Thankful
by secondplacechampion
Summary: Naraku is dead.  All who fought are still standing  all except for one.  Nobody expected her to fall, no one.  Expecially not Inuyasha.


Warning: Kykio haters, this is NOT for you. Consider yourself warned.

I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, Inuyasha would have been with Kagome a long time ago. Since that has not happened yet, even after 100+ episodes and 300+ mangas, it is so that I do this purely because of the lack of excitement in my life. While this is not, by far, my first fanfiction, it is, however, my first in the Inuyasha fandom. Be gentle.

_Enjoy._

* * *

**Thankful.**

_. . . this can not be it . . ._

Kagome dropped to her knees, shocked.

_No! . . . it was not supposed to be this way . . ._

Sango fell into Miroku, wounded and exhausted.

_. . . this can not be how everything ends . . ._

Rin peeked out from behind the bushes where she and Shippo had chosen to hide.

_. . . I couldn't . . . I didn't . . . _

Lord Sesshomoru saw that Rin had come out of hiding. "Rin," he made a hither motion with his head and she scurried toward him, grasping onto his good leg.

_. . . what do I do now? Oh, the blood . . ._

Kohaku dropped his weapon, no need to fight anymore - his mind suddenly clear - fell before the scene before him, and cried.

_. . . please . . ._

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha rushed, not fighting back his worry and desperation. "Kikyo, answer me."

Silence was his reply. Ugly, disgusting silence. She was cold before, barely surviving, but now she was ice, death finally taking her. Naraku - in a final try - made Kykio human and by doing so, his slave . . . needless to say it backfired on him. But out of everybody that had fought, she was the only one that had fallen. It was wrong.

"Kikyo," Inuyasha croaked, "You can't be gone yet. I have unfinished business with you . . ." she did not answer again. The pain built up in Inuyasha's throat, all the hatred, betrayal, fear, love, regret, guilt he had for the woman in his arms was threatening to escape him. He was exhausted and he could not fight anymore. He lost the battle to his tears as he clutched onto his past, rocking with her. Then, he let out a disheartening cry, "NO!"

Kagome held back a whimper at the sight. She loved Inuyasha, and she knew he loved Kikyo. She didn't want to imagine the pain she would feel if she lost him. All she could do was watch him. Just watching was miserable torture, for all she wanted to do was hold him and comfort him and love him like _she_ never could. Try as she might, she couldn't hate the priestess. But the tragedy for Kagome was she couldn't _not _love the half-demon.

"Inu-Inuyasha?" Came a weak voice from below Inuyasha's howls. Even the wind, who was blowing in a terrible storm, seemed to stall for the next moment. No one moved, Kagome felt her breath in her lungs, but was scared if she did anything with it, the spell would break. If she could not comfort Inuyasha, maybe Kikyo's last words would. "I do not regret loving you."

Fear flashed across Inuyasha's eyes as the wind started again, not caring for the affairs of humans. She picked up a blooded hand and placed it on his chin, "Don't try to save me, Inuyasha. If you and I were meant to be then I would not be laying here. We would not've fought in the first place."

A pitiful sound came from Inuyasha, a cross between a sob and moan, "This isn't fair."

A small smile formed on her face, "it never was."

He placed his forehead gently against hers, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything . . ." another pitiful sob.

She closed her eyes, and obviously fought back pain, and focused on his warmth, she was dreadfully cold. She opened her eyes when Inuyasha pulled her closer. There she was. Kagome. The girl that did what she could not: love Inuyasha for him, and nothing else. The pain on the girls face was not for the dying woman, but for the man holding her. It was so pitiful and distressing and pure. She loved him even though he had promised himself to another.

Then it clicked.

Since Kikyo awoke, she had been fueled by a passion for Inuyasha. Hatred. Pain. Betrayal. Regret. Her life should have been with him, a long, happy, full, life - with him. It was unfair and unjust. She began to cry at the revelations coming over her. She did love Inuyasha. She did not hate him. He wanted that life so long ago. He wanted it as badly as her, willing to give up all of his power to be a humble human with her. To be married, to grow old, to have children . . .

She realized what she was holding Inuyasha back from, she realized that he could be happy. She pushed away her jealousy and pain. Looking into her reincarnation's eyes she knew that Kagome truly loved him. More so than she, herself, ever could. The girl let him decide, and even when he didn't choose her she stood by him.

Inuyasha could be happy with her.

She swallowed her fear and blood, "Don't let . . . it happen again." He pulled back to look at her, confusion in his tear streaked face. She smiled, "Live, Inuyasha. Be . . . happy. I want you. . . to be happy. I don't mind. I . . . love you. I w-w-want you to love . . . too . . ."

"Kikyo . . ." shocked at what she was saying, his confusion doubled. He expected her to drag him to hell with her. He was fully prepared to follow her, now she was telling him to live?

"You don't . . . have to be . . . sorry. You did nothing wrong. Our love . . . It was . . .t-" she took in a deep breath, "True." She cried in pain, her wounds too deep. "Promise me . . ." Inuyasha leaned closer, ". . . a new promise . . . gah . . . to forget me."

Kagome's eyes widened and she gasped, Inuyasha must have had a similar look on his face since he pushed her back a slight. "What?" he shook his head, "No, I cannot forget you. Never."

"You have to."

"No matter how I try, I could never."

She winced, it almost took all of her strength to say this, "If you love me, you will. . . . this is my dying request . . ."

The pitiful sob escaped Inuyasha again. "But . . ."

"If you love her . . . you will. Be happy, Inuyasha. I want . . . you t-"

She coughed, and with it came blood, "To be happy is to be with her." She convulsed, and coughed again, "Be happy, Inuyasha. Please."

Inuyasha felt her desperation and his tears began again. He whispered a small, "Ok."

This seemed to ease her pain as she leaned into past. She closed her eyes as the dark sky lit up in a flash of lightning. She smiled the thunder rolled over.

She looked up into golden eyes, "I always did love the rain." It was so soft against the sounds of the storm, "It washes everything away . . ."

It was as the first few drops fell, she jerked a few times and sighed, "You are free . . . of me . . ." she sighed again, " . . . please be happy . . ."

Then she went limp in his arms.

Kagome's heart broke at the sound of his howls. She did not hear Kikyo's last words, but she just wanted to comfort him.

The wind picked up, and Kikyo's body began to fall apart, floating like dust among the wind. From clay she came to ash she went.

Inuyasha stared into the wind, "Thank you." It was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it.

"Come, Rin - we're done here." Sesshomaru ordered and the two walked off, leaving the six left alone in the clearing with Naraku's burning ashes.

* * *

It was five years to the day of Kikyo's death. Kagome woke up dreading it, she got up silently preparing herself for a brooding and cranky husband. They married, well, by demon standards, over three years ago, and had settled their life in Keade's village. She was worried about him, the last four years on the anniversary, even for the week surrounding it, he wouldn't talk to her or anyone. She used to make Raman - special for today - for him. He hadn't shown any signs of brooding all week and she was worried the memory would hit him hard.

It didn't hit him when he woke up, surprising her by grabbing her and kissing her good morning, smiling. He left around ten, probably to 'walk the perimeter' of the village. She busied herself with the laundry and mending, enjoying the quiet house and small swell of her stomach.

She heard a familiar laughter around noon, and peeked outside to find that Inuyasha was on the path heading home, Inutaro on his shoulders trying to grab at a low hanging branch. She smiled at the scene. Inuyasha would deliberately duck to keep the boy from reaching it.

"Dad!" The boy would whine, leaning over his father's head to look the man eye to eye. "That's not fair!"

Inuyasha reached up and grabbed the child, flipping him over his head, making him giggle, "Well . . . life ain't fair, runt."

Inutaro pouted, trying to put on his best puppy look. It had a one hundred percent positive outcome when he used it on his mother, and about a sixty percent positive out come when it came to his father. Who stared right back at him. The boy growled, this time was one of the forty percent negative.

The demon smiled at his son and scuffed up his long white hair, "Let's go home, it looks like your mom is already waiting for us."

Kagome took the next few moments to admire her boys. Inuyasha still wore his same fire-rat robe, and even now, in the peaceful village, he carried around his Tetseigua like a child with a security blanket. His face was softer and usually wore a smile, unless in the presence of a stranger or his brother. If Inutaro was around, it was strange to find him with anything but a smile on his face.

Inutaro - he would be turning three by summer's end and he was already idolizing his father. He had his mother make him a similar robe to that of his father's, although green was the only durable enough material they could find. His eyes, his ears, his nose, his mouth - it was all his father. He walked around like he owned the town, and was a big a softy as his father.

Much to Kagome's dismay (and Inutaro's protests), Inuyasha swears he has a girlfriend. Miroku and Sango's second daughter, Kanaya, was quite fond of Inutaro, and he was awful protective of her. Miroku and Sango keep joking how if she anything like them, she'll lead him on, and (since Inutaro is just like his father) he'll be oblivious, so she'll slap him, and then (since the boy is so much like his mother) he'll spend weeks being mad and not talking to her.

Whenever talk like this popped up, Inutaro would just go sulk in the corner, Kanaya troddleing along after him.

"You boys ready for lunch?"

"Yeah!" Came a vigorous reply from her son.

Inuyasha laughed, "What are we having?"

Kagome smiled a flirtatious smile, "Noodles." It was the closest thing she could get to "Ninja Food".

Inuyasha stopped, not three feet from the door - "Really?"

When his wife nodded, he couldn't get into the house fast enough, hurrying past both his son and wife, bowl ready for his noodles, holding it out in front of him like an offering, "Food please!"

"Women and children first! Lord knows, with you around, me and Inutaro wouldn't get to eat! And - I am eating for two now."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and caught Inutaro sticking his tongue out at him, "What have I told you about doing that?" he asked, scooping down to tickle his son in punishment.

Inutaro squealed with delight, "Not to do it!"

Inuyasha scrunched his face next to his son's, "Then why do you keep doing it?"

Kagome smiled, "Let's just eat! I'm hungry."

"Saved by the mother . . ." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

From behind Kagome, the child stuck out his tongue again, "Inutaro, listen to your father." Inuyasha returned the gesture. "Inuyasha, practice what you preach. Now you two, dig in!"

During lunch, she studied her husband, for any sign of bad memories or the start of brooding. Nothing. He downed his noodles, laughed with Inutaro, sneaked a grab at her (a bad habit that he picked up from Miroku she's sure). He was happy.

Then it hit her - this was what Kikyo wanted him to do - forget her and be happy. Maybe he was remembering her like she told him to . . .

Right now, though, Kagome didn't care. Her boys were happy and she was expecting another child come December. What a wonderful Christmas gift. She smiled to herself.

"Why so happy Kagome?"

"Just thinking of the baby," she answered truthfully. At the mention of the 'new pup' Inuyasha's ears perked up and his eyes shone, "OH! And I told Sango that we'd visit her today. She says she and Miroku have some news to tell us . . ."

He frowned, "We might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why?" Inutaro asked.

He sat up straight, and leaned his nose forward, ears flat against his head. Kagome's heart jumped, '_so he did remember . . ."_

"I can smell a storm not far off. I'd say it's a big one. It'll be here soon." Her heart settled.

"Oh!" came the surprised response from Inutaro, "That's why you wanted to hurry today!"

Inuyasha just simply nodded, "Yup. It's close." And as if he summoned it, thunder rolled from not far off, and the house groaned as the wind picked up. "Told you."

Kagome laughed, "I always did love the rain."

Inuyasha's ears jerked, chop sticks half way to his mouth as an old memory past through his mind.

"_I always did love the rain."_

"What?"

She swallowed, "I love the rain."

He stared at her, and it hit him what today was. He had forgotten. He sat his chop sticks down and ran a hand through his hair. How could he have forgotten?

"Are you ok dad?"

His gaze switched to his son. His son.

"_I forgot because she wanted me to. But . . . Without her, I couldn't have any of this."_

"Yeah Inu - I'm ok. Better, actually." He smiled as he took Kagome's hand. Kagome smiled as she realized what had just transpired. She bowed her head saying a silent prayer and he leaned in to place a light kiss on her temple.

"_Thank you Kikyo."_

* * *

Thankyou Sk-Higurashi for pointing out her name. I have a tendency to be a bit dyslesic.  
This just needed to get out of me. This has also prompted a few more Inuyasha bits that I will put up later, and if you all like them well enough, I think I have the starts of a long story for you all . . . 


End file.
